Shayan Italia
| Shayan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Shayan Italia |
| Also known as | Shayan |
| Born | Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Genres | Pop, adult contemporary, MOR |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Singing, piano |
| Website | Shayan official website |
Shayan Italia, also known by his stage name Shayan (pronounced 'shy-yan'), is an Indian-born International multi-award winning British singer-songwriter.[1] He gained publicity by selling portions of his future earnings on eBay and with his song "Reflection". He is only one of a handful of individuals from India to be interviewed by Sir David Frost. Feel, his album is a collection of 10 songs honoring his Mother who died from Multiple Myeloma. The ambitious production features a production crew of 135 musicians, vocalists, engineers, arrangers and multi-Grammy, Emmy and Brit award winning producers. Feel, as a body of work, is personal and not for commercial release. As a free give away, the album has garnered over 30 million downloads since July 2013 and is under consideration to be made into a Broadway musical.
Early life and education
Born and raised a Zoroastrian[2] in Secunderabad, India, Shayan studied at The Doon School, Dehradun and moved to London after the deaths of both his parents.[3] He has earned two degrees, a bachelor's degree in audio engineering from the Alchemea College of Audio Engineering and a master's degree in Music Business Management from the University of Westminster.[3]
Career
Shayan unexpectedly began writing songs after his mother died.[3] He was the first unsigned act to have a song played on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and performed at the Royal Albert Hall.[4] To support the production of his album "Feel", he auctioned off a portion of his future earnings on eBay, raising US$18,000 in seven days, but later raised a sum total of US$1 million by conventional means. He has also been interviewed by Sir David Frost on his show Frost Over The World[4] His song "Reflection" reached number one on YouTube's music video chart.[5] The song had previously won the All India Song Contest.[6]
References
- ↑ "Wannabee star uses eBay to launch pop career". Agence France-Presse (The Sunday Times). 7 October 2007. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ↑ "Indian-born singer/songwriter to take UK charts by storm" (Press release). Presswire. 31 October 2007. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Abhijit Dev Kumar (12 October 2007). "This Hyderabadi rocks in U.K.". The Hindu. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Smith, David (26 August 2007). "Debut album for singer who sold himself online". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ↑ Sabbagh, Dan (13 March 2008). "YouTube No 1 is a long way from success on the music charts". The Times. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ↑ Momin, Sajeda (9 February 2008). "In the mood for a melody". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 2009-09-06.